Get Off the Fence – An Interview with Erica Diamond

Recently, EntrepreneurMomNow’s owner Christine Pilkington had the opportunity to interview Erica Diamond from WomenOntheFence.com. Here are the results of that interview and be sure to watch Erica’s video!

What inspired you to launch WomenOnTheFence.com and start the On The Fence Movement?

I started my first company at the age of 24 in 1999. Things were going very well, I got married, and my business was growing. I won many business awards along the way, and I was enjoying married life and entrepreneurship. Then, SCREEEECH! I pushed out my first baby boy, and man, was I in for a curveball! Fast forward to 2006, with one son and another son on the way, at this point, I was struggling in my roles as business owner and mother and felt like I had one chance to raise my sons right. Canada’s largest retail chain of bags at the time, Bentley, was now courting me to purchase my company. I felt like it was almost a sign from above to sell my company and be able to stay home, be a full-time mom and take care of my kids. I stayed at home for 3 years wonderful years with my boys, and in 2009 my entrepreneurial itch was back! I wanted to start “something” and “do something,” I just didn’t know what exactly. I didn’t want to work a 9-5 job because I wanted flexibility in my life. My husband suggested I work with him but I thought that was a recipe for divorce!. I was feeling stuck and on the fence and wasn’t sure what to do. I thought it would be a cool idea to start a blog for women who, just like me at the time, were having trouble getting off the fence. And so I took the steps to create my blog WomenOnTheFence.com and finally, there it was, my first blog post on September 11th 2009! This would be my documented journey getting off the fence, and us women would also be inspired by other guest bloggers, experts, and celeb women sharing our on the fence/off the fence life experiences. The goal of my entire brand today is to always help women get off the fence, get unstuck and thrive in their life, career and motherhood. And that is how the birth of our GET OFF THE FENCE MOVEMENT was born last year. I encourage you to watch our video (also posted below): http://youtu.be/jkA9UNfiqH0 and take the pledge to get off the fence at www.GetOffTheFenceMovement.com

How do you juggle the life of being a successful entrepreneur and a mom?

By letting go of perfection and knowing that at the end of each day, if I gave my kids, my marriage, and my career MY ALL, good enough is perfect.

Barbie and our experiences with Barbie as girls.

As a young girl, I played with Barbie and imagined that I could be anything I wanted – an astronaut, doctor, scientist, even the Prime Minister! Barbie was part of my every day play and she traveled with me everywhere – in the car, on the train or plane, she was right beside me, every step of the way. Barbie was always there for me as a role model when I was a child. She inspired me to dream big and be fearless, and today, I’m living out those dreams. Now my dream is that one day, entrepreneurship will be part of the regular elementary school curriculum.

The Barbie Bursary and Entrepreneur Barbie.

I truly believe in what Barbie stands for – that with Barbie, anything is possible. To me, Barbie meant fantasy and role-playing and was my way of discovering what I wanted to be when I grew up. Today, as an entrepreneur, it was a natural fit to help launch Entrepreneur Barbie and the incredible Barbie Business Bursary program. I’m honoured to be named Canada’s Chief Inspiration Officer and want to help inspire young entrepreneurs to always chase their dreams. With the Barbie Business Bursary program, we’re able to put these words into action.

To quote Erica herself: I am Erica Diamond. I am 39. I am a Wife. I am a Mother of 2 young boys. I am a Certified Women’s Life, Business & Success Coach. I am an Editor-In-Chief and Blogger for all Women and Moms. I am an Award-Winning Entrepreneur and Businesswoman. I am an Author. I am a Speaker. I am a Weekly Parenting TV Correspondent. I am a Spokesperson. I am a Mentor. I am a Hockey Mom. I am a serial Volunteer. I was a Woman on the Fence.

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